After the crucifixion, it was apparent that there was a
great loss of faith among Jesus followers, or at least a great deal of
confusion over what they should be doing. But aside from my criticism of
the disciples, I would also note that a STRENGTH prevailed among them. If
we examine the nature of Jesus appearances, we find that in almost all of
them, Jesus found the disciples TOGETHER. The three years they had spent
with Jesus had bonded them; and they did not suddenly give that up. And so
it WAS, at the opening to the second chapter of the book of Acts.

"When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all
together in one place."

We don't know what was happening among them, any more
than we know what was going on in the upper room PRIOR to the first two
appearances recorded in the Gospel according to John, but we can make some
guesses. I seriously doubt that it was a mere social gathering, with a
discussion of fishing. But on the other hand, I DO believe that their
attention was focussed; that their minds, their spirits, were in a
receptive mood.

"And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like
the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were
sitting."

Now, to the cynical non-believer this may sound like
something out of a spooky horror movie about a haunted house. And even
believers might wish to overlook this and hope that nobody ever asks them
about it. But let's NOT ignore it.

Something DID happen, so let's try to figure out what
it might have been. First of all, what was the "sound from
heaven"? We know that it was "like the rush of a violent
wind." And that's all I NEED to know. We have heard or read of those
who use hallucinogenic drugs as experiencing a "rush."

But I've also known of distance runners who have spoken
of experiencing a "rush," a "runner's high," when
trying to describe what might be called a deeply spiritual experience when
running.

"The rush of a violent wind." A deeply moving
experience.

"Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them,
and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy
Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them
ability."

The "other languages" in the CORINTHIAN
church were an INCOHERENT form of speech, and Paul addresses this in the
fourteenth chapter of his first letter to the Corinthians; but here Luke
thinks of a GIFT of FOREIGN languages, as though the story of the tower of
Babel, as recorded in the eleventh chapter of Genesis, had been reversed.

"Now there were devout Jews from every nation
under heaven living in Jerusalem."

But this is a special time for the Jews. Jewish
tradition held that the Law was given on this day, seven weeks after
Passover. So this time and place for this event in Christian history was
not randomly selected by God.

And just as the Jewish Law, the Torah, was given on
this day in history, so God has chosen, on this day, to send the Holy
Spirit, which Jesus PROMISED God would send in his place, as Counselor and
Advocate for his followers.

"And at this sound the crowd gathered and was
bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of
each."

So it's no longer a private party. But how did THESE
folks know that something was happening? What was it that THEY heard? What
"sound"? And why did it attract them?

I have to believe that God through the Holy Spirit was
working not only within the disciples, but also within the rest of the
Jewish population of Jerusalem that day.

Of course, their minds were on the celebration of the
receiving of the Jewish Law; but I also believe that they were NOT unaware
that the one who had come to tell of the NEW law had been put to death
only a short time before.

"Amazed and astonished, they asked, "Are not
all these who are speaking Galileans?"

Well, of COURSE they were! But they had received a
GIFT. And the question asked here sounds a lot like the question asked of
good lay preaching: "Isn't that preacher just a layperson?" But
laypersons have received gifts too. Clergy aren't the only ones who should
be expected to be able to preach. And sometimes, WE don't do the best job.

And the multitude continues to ask questions:

"And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our
own native language?"

And it really must have been baffling to them, how this
little bunch of folks from the tiny province of Galilee could reach out to
the whole world. But given what we know now, it really shouldn't be
baffling to US. Consider the Bible.

Consider all the translations it has gone through.
Consider all the people and all the cultures which have been exposed to
it. And the message still WORKS.

Because somehow, each of us hears, in our native
language, in our own personal history, the message that God is trying to
send to us. In spite of the fact that the story came out of the Eastern
Mediterranean culture two thousand years ago, we can still HEAR it.

And Luke catalogues for us all those who are being
reached in that moment:

"Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of
Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia,
Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome,
both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs--in our own languages we hear
them speaking about God's deeds of power."

And Luke was probably pretty impressed. Well, he SHOULD
have been; but even this list barely scratches the surface of where the
word would eventually be heard. The list barely touches the continents of
Asia, Europe and Africa.

And the entire Western Hemisphere was unknown.

"All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one
another, "What does this mean?"

We need to ask ourselves this same question. We can
choose to sit on this bit of history and see it only in terms of spoken
language and what God can do with that. But I think there's more to it. I
believe that there is a call to mission in this message.

After going through commencement exercises at seminary
fifteen years ago, it occurred to me that there were a number of my
classmates that I would likely never see again. And those I WOULD see I
would see on only the rarest of occasions.

All of us came from a very wide variety of backgrounds.
We spent three years together, and then we scattered. Offhand, I can think
of at least eight states to which classmates departed.

Each of us would be taking a similar message: God's
love as we had found it in Jesus Christ. But each community to which we
took that message would speak a slightly different language, have a
different history and culture.

And we would need to trust in the Holy Spirit that we
could learn to speak that different language to be heard by the people to
whom we had been sent to minister.

But I have benefit of hindsight in my interpretation of
the pentecost event. Some, at that time, were not so receptive:

"But others sneered and said, "They are
filled with new wine."

Now, we can read that with less subtlety: "They're
drunk." But personally, I take it as a compliment, as prophesy. For
those of us who are sent forth to proclaim the word MUST be filled with a
new sense of who we are and of what the world might be.

We MUST have a new sense of God's purpose in this
world. For without that "new wine," we have little to offer.

"But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his
voice and addressed them, "Men of Judea and all who live in
Jerusalem, let this be known to you and listen to what I say."

But Peter has his hands full. Somehow he has to explain
this strange event to these folks in a way that they can understand AT
THAT TIME. As far as they're concerned, all they've got is a bunch of
crazies and drunks on their hands.

Some of them may understand what's going on, or want
to, but even for them it's probably confusing.

So first Peter points out what is NOT happening.

"Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for
it is only nine o'clock in the morning."

Now, that strikes me as a pretty weak argument. Does
this mean that if this had happened late in the day, they MIGHT have been
drunk? Is Peter saying that they haven't had enough time to get drunk?
Well, anyway, he's trying. And the important thing is that he's trying to
put aside any purely physical reason for the behaviors that are being
exhibited, because something spiritual is happening.

And then Peter shifts to his strong suit: "No,
this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel."

And it is important to note that Peter isn't relying on
his own words for his explanation. He isn't relying on his own
experiences. He isn't even referring to the teachings of Jesus, either in
his earthly life or his appearances after the resurrection.

Instead, he heads for the prophets. And in doing so, he
is moving to ground that his Jewish listeners should understand.

He begins, citing the second chapter of Joel: "In
the last days it will be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit
upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your
young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams."

For Joel, "all flesh" meant primarily the
Jews. This is clearer in the third chapter of Joel, and is similar to the
thirty-ninth chapter of Ezekiel. But for Peter at Pentecost, it included
all nations.

Indeed, Peter was telling his listeners that this was
not an isolated event limited to only a few, but evidence of God's gift
available to all people. He was including his listeners in what was
happening.

"Even upon my slaves, both men and women, in those
days I will pour out my Spirit; and they shall prophesy."

And the thrust of this message is to cut across class
lines. In God's sight there would be no structure of master and servant;
ALL would receive the Holy Spirit and ALL would take upon themselves the
gift of prophesy.

"And I will show portents in the heaven above and
signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and smoky mist. The sun shall
be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the coming of the
Lord's great and glorious day. Then everyone who calls on the name of the
Lord shall be saved."

But we also hear echoes of these words in the words of
Jesus in the twenty-fourth verse of the thirteenth chapter of the gospel
according to Mark: "But in those days, after that suffering, the sun
will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light."

Again, in the twelfth verse of the sixth chapter of
Revelation: "When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and there came
a great earthquake; the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon
became like blood."

So what is Peter trying to tell his listeners? What is
he trying to tell us?

I believe that he is telling us that the Pentecost experience, strange
as it may have appeared to those first onlookers, was an experience that
God would make available to all, even before the end of time: and indeed,
as we each, individually, experience the Holy Spirit in our lives, we too
shall prophesy, shall see visions, and shall dream dreams as we work for
God's glory on earth.